There is a wide array of teleconferencing packages currently in use, many of which incorporate similar protocol. Typically, when one participant wishes to coordinate a conference call, also referred to as the host or moderator, the invitation is sent by email with instructions for call in details such as a telephone number and an access code. In many instances, there is a requirement for the invitee to respond with acceptance or declination. Assuming that all intended invitees respond, there are further limitations. The scheduled time may be altered by one or more of invitees. The result is that each invitee is re-contacted with the suggested new time and must then respond again by email, etc. with acceptance, declination or yet another suggested time. The contact process then repeats. Clearly, the greater the number of invitees, the higher the probability for repeated changes which can become burdensome and a colossal waste of valuable professional time.
These limitations are further exacerbated by the fact that the initial email notification is typically sent out to the invitees several days in advance of the scheduled time. After several days a typical professional can have accrued hundreds of email transactions. To then have to sift through these to find the call in details generally requires an inordinate amount of time and can be hazardous, particularly when one is traveling.
Other drawbacks with existing systems used in this space include the cost to effect the conference call. Where invitees are located in different countries of the world, the cost of the call can become instantly excessive and this is a function of call time and number of attendees. In some instances, it is possible for the cost to become so great that it outweighs the costs attributed to a face to face meeting. This problem is amplified when the meeting involves the dissemination of other media, i.e. PowerPoint, slides, previously attached documents, etc., for presentation purposes. The major impediment here relates to the technical sophistication of the attendee. If unknowledgeable, the attendee can effectively derail the conference call, by requiring extra time to collate papers, open attachments and locate materials necessary to effectively participate in the call. This generally results in the meeting becoming incomplete owing to content truncation from time constraints. This obviously contravenes the entire point of the meeting.
In the prior art, a number of suggested solutions to the enumerated limitations have been asserted.
A representative example of the prior art is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 8,483,375, issued to Jacobstein, et. al, Jul. 9, 2013, for a system and method for joining conference calls. The specification teaches systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for scheduling an event to automatically join a user to a conference call.
It is indicated that the method includes receiving an invitation for a user to join a conference call and extracting a scheduled conference call time, conference call address information, conference call authentication information, and a conference call modality, and scheduling an event to join the user to the conference call via the conference call modality at the scheduled conference call time based on the conference call address information and the conference call. This is indicated in column 7 of the specification, beginning at line 11:                “The system 100 extracts from the invitation a scheduled conference call time, conference call address information, conference call authentication information, and a conference call modality (404). The system 100 can extract information via fuzzy logic, machine learning, and/or regular expressions. The system 100 can use a regular expression engine Written in Perl, Python, Ruby, and/or other suitable language. The system 100 can ask the user to confirm the extracted conference call information. In one aspect, the system 100 asks the user 20 to confirm the extracted information when the extracted information has a certainty below a threshold.”        
Although seeming to be particularly convenient, this system, since it chooses the extracted information, automatically usurps the privacy of the user. In certain situations, it may be that the user is on a private cell phone or using a device with high security attributes. Without the ability of the user to preauthorize his or her selected medium for connection, privacy is compromised. Further to this point, the specification stipulates in column 8, beginning at line 18:
“In one aspect, the system infers the communication modality from the template or from the information extracted. For example, if the system 100 extracts a number formatted as xxx-xxx-xxxx, the system 100 can infer that the communication modality is telephone. If the system 100 extracts an address like http://WWW.myconference.com/I234/in dex.html, the system can infer that the communication modality is Web conference”.
Perhaps one of the most potentially dangerous features of the system protocol in this patent relates to further information mining. It is discussed in column 9, beginning at line 38:                “The disclosure now turns to a more in-depth discussion of the machine learning approaches to information extraction referred to above. Machine learning algorithms can extract communication session information, such as conference bridge number and participant code, from users' emails or appointments. The system can then use the retrieved information to easily setup a communication session, for example, dialing conference bridge number and entering a participant information from people's telecommunication code, as well as popping up web conference links with limited user interaction. The system can also verify the retrieved information by monitoring users' communication sessions.” [Emphasis mine].        
As discussed supra, this poses a real problem where security and/or privacy require observation.
Yap et. al., in United States Patent Publication No. U.S.2012/0230485, teach a method and system for conference call scheduling using e-mail. It is indicated that e-mail can be parsed when received from a conference moderator, containing scheduling and participant information and a conference call scheduled with minimal further user intervention. The method and system can operate as a virtual administrative assistant, in this manner, to identify and collect telephone contact information for each of the proposed conference call participants. This is indicated to be achieved using a customizable hierarchy of internal and external sources of contact information. As such, the conference moderator does not need to know telephone contact information for each conference call participant.
Although a useful first generation system, the arrangement does not allow a user to select his or her own identifier in a private environment. Identifier in the sense of Applicant's technology herein is of a much broader scope and includes, for example, a Twitter address, a Facebook address, a Skype address, LinkedIn address, website address, land based phone number, cellular phone number, satellite phone number, domain name and combinations thereof. As an attendant benefit to this flexibility, the user may also change a previously indicated identifier to another one attributed to the user right up to the time of the call. This is very useful as business rarely has a definitive schedule and this feature accommodates schedule disruption, flight time changes etc. that may evolve approaching the time of the call.
In United States Patent Publication No. US2012/0230485, Yap, et. al. provide a further variation on the system and method disclosed above. It is indicated in the text that:                “As will be described in more detail below, the conference call server 55 can be adapted to use a hierarchy of internal and external sources of information to locate a telephone contact number for call participants. FIG. 6E shows an example of a contact confirmation e-mail 605 to moderator 615, Where text information 660 regarding retrieval of information regarding a contact is communicated to moderator 615 for its approval. The e-mail 605 can optionally include the source 665 of the contact information such as a Website retrieved via the Internet.        
As shown in FIGS. 7A-7C, the conference call server 55 is also adapted to reach out to scheduled call participants and collect telephone contact information (via e-mail) When there is an e-mail address on file. It should be appreciated that other communication mediums can also be used to contact a participant. FIG. 7A shows an example of a contact confirmation e-mail 701 which is sent to moderator 615 stating no telephone contact information could be located for a participant 705. The e-mail 701 can include text 715 stating that an e-mail address 716 is on file for the participant 705 and that there will be an attempt to contact the participant using that address 716. FIG. 7B shows the e-mail communication 702 to address 716 providing information 722 about the scheduled call and asking for the participant 705 to respond to the e-mail. The subject line 720 also states the purpose of the e-mail (e.g., the scheduled time of the conference call, or the name of the moderator). FIG. 7C shows an example response e-mail 703 to the conference call server e-mail address 716 with a participant's contact number 725. In one embodiment, the conference call server will only accept a response from the participant's e-mail address 716 on file. In one embodiment (as shown in FIG. 7D), the conference call server 55 can send a confirmation e-mail 704 to participants (e.g., participant 6301)) whose e-mail address 717 is on file.”
It is noted that other communication media can be used to contact a participant, however, no further information is provided as to how this is achieved. Further, the system noted above stipulates that it will only “will only accept a response from the participant's e-mail address 716 on file.” This seems rather contradictory with the assertion that other media can be used to contact the participant.
In Applicant's system and method, it is moot if there is no email on file; the arrangement has been optimized to recognize an electronic identifier. Further, the moderator, to the extent that one is required in view of the technology, may never know the email address of the participant, let alone any other identifier.
The Yap et. al. disclosure is meritorious, but does not bring the technology to the ultimate convenience level as will be set forth herein.
Demsky et. al. in United States Publication No. 2004/0078436, teach a method of adding information to a meeting notice. The method involves within an electronic meeting notification system, a method of scheduling meetings comprising: storing meeting attribute information within a user profile of the meeting notification system, receiving a user request to schedule a meeting and prompting a user whether to automatically include at least a portion of the meeting attribute information within a meeting notification to be distributed to meeting participants. The system allows for calendaring and updates for the convenience of many users.
Other references which are generally relevant to the area of technology include U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,503,654, 8,483,372, United States Publications 2008/00377448, 2011/0182415, inter alia.
As a mosaic, the prior art is extensive and useful, however, there still exists a need for a conferencing method where user identifier information is maintained in privacy, the requirement for users to connect to and reschedule a call is effortless and meeting progress, participant attendance and supplemental documentation and/pertinent materials can be dynamically updated for maximum efficiency in an environment of minimal disruption.